You Can't Avoid the Inevitable
by RipperShipper
Summary: Based on a tumblr prompt: The first interaction between Patrick and Sister Evangelina after she finds out about his and Shelagh's engagement.


**You Can't Avoid the Inevitable**

Summary: From a tumblr prompt: First interaction between Patrick and Sister Evangelina after she finds out about his and Shelagh's engagement.

A/N: First CtM fic! I just binged all the seasons and I am so full of Turnadette love and I'm so excited to join the fandom!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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He'd been avoiding her. Pretty successfully too, if he did say so himself.

It had been a whole 48 hours since word about his and Shelagh's engagement had gotten out and according to the overly excited and giggling nuns, Sister Evangelina was out for his blood. At least Nurse Franklin and Nurse Lee thought to warn him, even if they did so through mischievous grins and prying eyes. He couldn't really be annoyed with them. His upcoming wedding to one of their former coworkers was certainly the juiciest gossip Poplar had seen in several years and he was grateful that the young nurses had taken Shelagh in with open arms rather than the suspicious stares of many of their patients.

Still, it was clearly too much to hope for the nuns to react the same way. His heart broke at the memory of Shelagh standing at the door to his flat, tears streaming down her face.

" _Oh, Patrick." she'd whispered before curling herself into him as he ushered her inside away from the world._

" _What happened, my love?"_

 _Shelagh pulled away from his chest and he melted at the dampness her tears left against his chest. She'd gone to Nonnatus today to tell Sister Julienne about their engagement and apparently it hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped._

" _She said she was happy for us, but it felt like she was pushing me away. I think really hurt her when I left them." Shelagh buried her head back into his jumper._

" _I'm so sorry, Shelagh. I never meant to - "_

" _It's not your fault. I chose to live my life with you and Timothy and I don't regret it for a moment." She assured._

" _I don't want to stand between you and your family."_

" _You are my family, Patrick." She smiled. "Of that, I am certain."_

At the time, her remark hadn't sat completely well with him, but he didn't want to push her. If she needed to pretend for a little while that she didn't need the Nonnatuns, then she would whether he prodded her or not. They would all come around eventually. The nurses came by her lodgings nearly every day and the Sisters asked about her when he saw them...well, all except one.

Not that he'd given her the chance to.

 _He pulled up to Nonnatus later that day, intent on having a word with Sister Julienne about the upcoming polio vaccinations. He was barely out of the car when Nurse Franklin and Nurse Lee burst out the door and ran down the stairs towards their bikes._

" _Oh, Dr. Turner! Fantastic timing!" Trixie exclaimed._

" _What's going on?" He asked._

" _Mrs. Claymore's gone into labor." Jenny explained as she fitted her bag to her bicycle. "Two weeks early with twins, we were going to call you shortly anyway."_

" _Of course. I'll follow you in a moment, I just need to speak to Sister Julienne."_

 _Giggling broke out behind him as he stepped towards the stairs._

" _What is it?" He asked suspiciously._

" _I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Trixie warned with a smile, "Sister Evangelina's put out a bounty for your head, Dr."_

" _What?" He asked, but realization soon dawned. "Oh...Oh dear."_

 _The nurses burst out laughing at his face, but took pity on the poor man._

" _If it's any consolation, we couldn't be happier for you and Shelagh!" said Jenny_

" _Just keep away from Sister Evangelina if you want to make it to the wedding!" Trixie shouted the last bit as the two girls biked away to their patient._

 _Patrick took one last look at Nonnatus, shuddered, and promptly climbed back into his car to follow them._

That was yesterday afternoon. He managed all morning without running into any of the nuns at all and by some miracle, he wasn't called to any deliveries. He was home free until his autoclave decided to break down. He couldn't bear the thought of starting tomorrow with a bag full of fluid-covered tools, so he was forced to head back in his car to the only other autoclave available at any reasonable distance.

Patrick sighed as he stood in the shadows of the tunnel across from Nonnatus house.

This was ridiculous.

This was his place of work too and he needed professional supplies. Besides, it was dinner time and with any luck, one of the nurses would answer the door and he could run in and out with no one the wiser and be back to Shelagh and Tim by the time his own food was ready.

He paused again at the top of the stairs. If he didn't want anyone to know he was here, he might as well try to sneak in? God, what was wrong with him. Out of curiosity, though, he found himself trying the door in lieu of knocking and to he let out an audible sigh of relief when it opened.

"God bless you, Sister Monica Joan." He murmured under his breath.

Patrick gently opened the door and poked his head in. Voices from down the hall and a light coming from the dining room told him that in fact everyone was at dinner and he snuck inside with a victorious smirk.

He followed the well known path to the clinical room and quickly set his instruments in the autoclave as quietly as he could. Leaving the machine to run, he sat contentedly in a room he was rarely in long enough to look around. The tell-tale combination of medical mania and precision filled the space and he found himself wondering if Shelagh might like to return to midwifery once they were married and all the discord was settled. She'd always looked so at home in her work and he couldn't deny that her passion and intelligence for nursing were the first parts of her he fell deeply in love with. And her eyes. And her smile. And her glasses that always seemed a bit askew on her lovely nose.

He was so lost in his day dreaming about his bride-to-be that didn't hear the voices of the midwives dispersing after dinner.

"Do you think they've set a date yet?" Cynthia asked as she, Jenny, and Trixie headed towards the clinic room. Dr. Turner and Shelagh Mannion's wedding was off-limits at the dinner table, but other than that, the girls could hardly stop talking about it.

"Shelagh didn't say anything," Trixie replied, "but I imagine Dr. Turner wants it as soon as possible." she added saucily.

"Trixie!" Jenny chided.

"Oh please, we've all seen the way he looks at her now. You could almost faint from the tension." Trixie sighed almost wistfully.

Patrick perked up at her last sentence and panicked. How had they gotten so close without him noticing? If only Shelagh didn't distract him so…

There was no time to hide as the turned the corner.

"Well I think they're positively adorable." said Cynthia.

"Oh, they'll have the cutest babi- Dr. Turner!" Jenny gasped as she realized they were not alone.

Patrick gaped at them, having lost the ability to speak.

"Dr. Turner, I thought we warned you yesterday about coming here." Trixie teased.

"Good evening, Nurse Franklin, um Nurse Lee, Nurse Miller." He stammered. "I, um, I needed the use of your autoclave. Oh look, it's done. I'll be going now."

"You'd better run quick." Cynthia offered. "Sister Evangelina's on call tonight and she'll be down here soon."

"Right. Thank you." Patrick hurried for the door.

"Dr. Turner, your bag!" Jenny caught him.

"Thank you, sorry." He apologized and moved to leave again only to find his path blocked by the scariest version of Sister Evangelina he'd ever had the displeasure to meet.

"Good evening, Dr." She sneered. "Fancy meeting you here."

Jenny, Trixie, and Cynthia looked at each other and broke into giggles.

"And I'll not ask why the three of you are just standing about." Sister Evangelina hollered. The three nurses quickly moved to the other room, failing to contain their amusement at the situation and at Patrick's pleading glance as they left.

Patrick stood completely still. Maybe if he didn't move, she would go away.

"So," she began.

No such luck.

"What brings you to Nonnatus House, Dr. Turner?"

The last time he felt like this, he was fourteen and he'd been caught sneaking home in the middle of the night by his father.

"My autoclave seems to have broken down. I thought I might use yours." He spoke softly.

"I think you've taken quite enough of Nonnatus' resources over the past week. At least the autoclave remains with us when you're done. Or did you come to steal another young, impressionable girl away from her holy vows?"

Patrick's fear evaporated, replaced by righteous indignation and a fierce sense of protection.

"Shelagh is hardly a young, impressionable girl, Sister, and with all due respect, I didn't steal her away from anything. This was her choice to make."

"That just happens to benefit you." She snapped back. "I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit, Dr. Most men would see winning a woman over from God as a badge of honor."

"Stop it. Just stop." Patrick borderline ordered. "Look, I know you must be furious with me and I understand, I really do, but don't take this out on Shelagh. She's happier than she's ever been, but she also cries everyday for what she left behind here because she thinks that all of you hate her and she won't listen to me when I tell her that's not true, so please, even if you can't forgive me, forgive her. She doesn't deserve this and she'll see your anger at me as anger at her and I won't let that happen. I can't possibly begin to understand everything she's going through right now, I just know she needs her Sisters, so if you ever cared about her, stop treating her engagement like a death sentence."

Sister Evangelina stared at him. He hadn't yelled at a nun since Marianne's death, and even then, he was yelling more at the world than he was at anyone in particular.

"I heard shouting, is everything alright?" Sister Julienne ran into the room. "Dr. Turner, what a lovely surprise. Can I get you anything?" Her eyes darted back and forth between Sister Evangelina and the frustrated man in front of her.

"No, thank you Sister. I should be going." Patrick walked out of the clinical room and towards the door only to hear footsteps following him. He turned around with a sigh and was slightly surprised to find Sister Evangelina looking back at him rather than Sister Julienne. Her attitude towards him hadn't softened, but it was clear she was struggling to say what she wanted to.

"Tell Shelagh." She tried. "Tell Shelagh to come around to join us for tea tomorrow. And you as well. If you would be so kind."

Patrick smiled gratefully.

"Of course, Sister. I'm sure she'll be delighted."

Patrick turned to leave and promptly felt a smack against the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"That's for sneaking in here like a common thief. I expect you to knock tomorrow like a civilized man, do you understand?" She berated.

"Yes, Sister." He grumbled.

"Good." She paused. "Do you love her, Dr.?"

"More than anything." He promised.

"Right then. Off you go." She shooed him out the door before he could see the tears forming in her eyes.

Patrick saw them anyway. They would be fine.

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Thanks for reading!


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